Dilbert

The attractiveness and charm of the Dilbert comic lies in the ability of the white collar masses to relate to everything that goes on. As absurd as Dilbert's life at work is, it's often not far from the truth.

That said, it made a very amusing and underrated animated TV show. The people chosen to do voice overs for the characters were absolutely perfect: I can think of nobody better to voice the pointy haired boss than Larry Miller.

It seems that most people have a love/hate relationship with this series. I suspect that there is something lost between the comic strip and the show: most of the fans of the comic strip like it because they can relate to it, not because it's universally entertaining, like Popeye or Peanuts. That said, the movie is almost never as good as the book, so many people may feel the same in this case. For years, I hated the Dilbert comic strip. But after I finished college and got a white collar job very much like Dilbert's, in an office very much like the one on the comic, I finally "got it" and haven't stopped laughing.

The show was perhaps meant to be a bit more mainstream? Who knows. I thought it was very entertaining and deserved a longer life than it got.

A clever and imaginative cartoon based on the popular comic strip, Dilbert was aimed at an educated adult audience. That's why it failed: Most people who would have enjoyed it probably never saw it. After all it's ratings, not quality which keep a show running. Unfortunately so, because Dilbert is not your mindless everyday sitcom stultification.

I once said that Futurama is my favourite cartoon. I stand by that, but Dilbert comes a very close second. The eclectic range of characters, from Dilbert himself, to his Machiavellian roommate Dogbert, to Wally, a leech disguised as a human being, to Asok, the put upon intern, to Alice, the feminist engineer with no feminism about her to Loud Howard, the man with the mouth. Above all this you have the wisdom of the Pointy-Haired Boss, and the truly evil whims of Catbert.

I cannot insist how good this show is, only that every time the Boss says something, or Asok is placed in a position of misfortune or Loud Howard claims to know something, you find your find yourself laughing. Take a look for yourself.

I just recently had the opportunity to watch Dilbert. My brother came home with the DVD Collection. It took me about a week to watch all 30 episodes but I was hooked from the very first one.

When I was about to start high school, I applied to a special business high school and got in. But turned them down to go to regular high school with my peers. For years since I was so grateful that I decided not to go to that business school, I didn't want a office job when I got older, I didn't want a 9 to 5. But after watching Dilbert, I'm craving that experience. That life seems so exciting for some strange reason. So now coincidently I had made up my mind to be a Public Administration major before the show and its Cubical life and opted out. I'm so happy that I found Dilbert. Its weird but I look forward to it.

Well my brother left, and took the collection with him. So I, on Sunday, scoured my newspaper and found the comics, searched for Dilbert and ripped it out. It's now hanging on my wall. I love the humor of Dilbert because its so honest. But my favorite thing of all is the opening sequence, it took me a while to figure it out, but Dilbert is what we become in life.

I'll treasure my Dilbert learning experience for life.

Dilbert, the animated series, easily lives up to all expectations having come from the most popular comic strip in the world.

Unlike most TV shows, animated or live action, Dilbert actually got better as it went on. It started out good, and became great. It has the same witty 'water-cooler' humor as the comic strip, as well as the traditional 'zaney' antics that most cartoons feature. Although it can be most appreciated by those who have either been a cubical worker, or have close friends or family that were, this show is just as entertaining to those who do not understand what the phrase "ISO 9000" means.

This show could have, and should have, been a long running and successful animated series, just like the comic strip. However, it did not get national exposure (they didn't even air it in Saint Louis--I saw it for the first time in Chicago), and was never picked up by any major networks until Comedy Central featured it late in their Sunday night lineup for a few months. If the show had gotten a decent time-slot on a major network, and had actually been advertised....I think it could have continued on for many years to come.

Hopefully it will make a comeback. Its easily one of the funniest shows ever made.